1

The Godfather: A fictional family with real mafia influences

The Corleone family may be fictional, but author Mario Puzo drew inspiration from several real Mafia figures and traditions . Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), for example, has similarities to New York crime boss Frank Costello, who was known for his political connections and influence. Vito's olive-oil business also recalls real mobster Joe Profaci, who built a legitimate olive-oil business alongside his criminal activities.

One of the movie's most memorable scenes also has a real-life parallel. When Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) goes to a restaurant and secretly retrieves a gun from the bathroom before killing Sollozzo and McCluskey, the setup echoes the 1931 murder of mob boss Joe Masseria. Masseria was having lunch at a Coney Island restaurant with Lucky Luciano when Luciano briefly left the table; gunmen then entered and killed Masseria. Michael's assassination, however, is fictional, and Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola combined real Mafia history with an invented Corleone family.

2

Goodfellas: The real life of Henry Hill

Unlike many Mafia movies, Goodfellas is closely tied to one man's actual experiences. The 1990 film by Martin Scorsese is based on Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy , which tells the story of Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) and his life inside New York's Lucchese crime family. One of the movie's biggest events, the 1978 Lufthansa heist at JFK Airport, really happened: gangsters stole millions of dollars in cash and jewelry from the airline's cargo terminal.

The movie also recreates the real-life 1970 murder of William Bentvena, known as Billy Batts, who was beaten after insulting Thomas DeSimone. Even Henry Hill's drug arrest and the chaotic day depicted in the film, including his paranoia and the helicopter following him, were based on his real accounts.

3

American Gangster: The rise of Frank Lucas

American Gangster (2007) follows Frank Lucas, a Harlem drug trafficker who became one of the most powerful figures in New York's heroin trade during the 1960s and '70s. Denzel Washington's portrayal presents Lucas as a disciplined, businessman-like criminal who built his operation largely outside the traditional Mafia structure. Lucas really did build a heroin operation in Harlem under the name "Blue Magic." He also traveled to Southeast Asia to establish direct connections with heroin suppliers, cutting out intermediaries.

Richie Roberts, played by Russell Crowe, was a real New Jersey detective who investigated Lucas, and he later cooperated with authorities by providing information about corrupt police officers. However, the famous Vietnam coffin scene was not real, and the movie also fictionalized Bumpy Johnson's death and romanticized Lucas's family life.

4

Casino: When Las Vegas was run by the mob

The glamorous Las Vegas of Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995) has a very real history behind it. The film was based on Nicholas Pileggi's nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas . Robert De Niro's Sam ‘’Ace’’ Rothstein was based on casino executive Frank ‘’Lefty’’ Rosenthal, while Joe Pesci's Nicky Santoro was inspired by Chicago mobster Anthony Spilotro.

Several details shown in the movie really happened . Rosenthal survived a car bombing in Las Vegas in 1982, and the attack with a pen was inspired by a real incident involving Spilotro. Ace's appearances before Nevada gaming officials, accompanied by his real attorney Oscar Goodman, were also based on actual events. Rosenthal did oversee the Stardust and other casinos for the Chicago Outfit, where the mob secretly skimmed casino revenue. Spilotro really operated in Las Vegas as the Outfit's enforcer and ran the "Hole in the Wall" Gang.

5

The Sopranos: New Jersey's mob culture comes to TV

Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his crew were fictional, but The Sopranos (which aired on HBO from 1999 to 2007) drew heavily from the real organized-crime culture of New Jersey and New York. Creator David Chase grew up in New Jersey and was familiar with the presence of Mafia stories and figures in the region. Tony was sometimes compared to real mobster Vincent "Vinny Ocean" Palermo, although he was not based directly on him.

The show's realism went further . FBI wiretaps captured real mobsters discussing how accurately the series portrayed Mafia life. Tony Sirico, who played Paulie Walnuts, had also been involved with the Colombo crime family in his youth and agreed to take the role on the condition that Paulie would never become an informant. Livia Soprano (Nancy Marchand) was based on David Chase's own mother, while locations such as the Bada Bing and Satriale's were real New Jersey establishments used for filming.

6

The Untouchables: Eliot Ness vs. Al Capone

During Prohibition, Al Capone became one of America's most notorious gangsters, while federal agent Eliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner) became famous for helping pursue him. Ness really did lead the "Untouchables," a team targeting Capone's illegal operations in Chicago. The 1987 film's baseball-bat scene also has a real-life basis: Capone (played by Robert DeNiro) reportedly had two suspected traitors, Albert Anselmi and John Scalise, brutally beaten at a dinner.

But many memorable moments are Hollywood inventions. The train-station shootout, courthouse shootout, and Canadian border raid never happened, and Ness never killed gangster Frank Nitti. Capone's eventual conviction for tax evasion was real, but the case was largely driven by the U.S. Attorney's Office and Treasury investigators rather than Ness's team.

7

Donnie Brasco: The undercover agent who really went inside

Donnie Brasco (1997) is based on one of the most remarkable undercover operations in FBI history. Agent Joseph Pistone really spent six years undercover as "Donnie Brasco," infiltrating the Bonanno crime family beginning in 1976. He gained the trust of mobsters who believed he was a small-time jewel thief and was even on the verge of being formally inducted into the Mafia when his true identity was discovered.

The movie's characters also have real counterparts. Johnny Depp plays Pistone, while Al Pacino's Lefty Ruggiero was a real Bonanno mobster who became one of the agent's closest Mafia contacts. The film changes and condenses some events, but the central relationship between Pistone and Ruggiero, and the danger of Pistone being exposed, was based on an actual six-year FBI operation.

8

Scarface: Tony Montana has a real predecessor

Tony Montana, the cocaine-fueled gangster played by Al Pacino, is fictional. But Scarface has deep roots in real organized crime. The 1983 Brian De Palma film was a very loose remake of the 1932 Scarface , directed by Howard Hawks, which was inspired by Prohibition-era Chicago gangster Al Capone . Capone was famously nicknamed "Scarface" because of the scars on his face, and his life as a Chicago gangster helped inspire the original film.

The 1983 movie moved the story from Prohibition-era Chicago to 1980s Miami, transforming its main character into a Cuban immigrant who rises through the cocaine trade. The Miami setting was tied to the real Mariel boatlift of 1980, when more than 100,000 Cubans arrived in the United States.

9

The Irishman: A mobster's claims about Jimmy Hoffa

The Irishman is based largely on Frank Sheeran's claims about his connections to organized crime and the disappearance of Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa. Robert De Niro plays Sheeran, while Al Pacino portrays Hoffa in Martin Scorsese's 2019 film. Sheeran's close relationship with Hoffa and his loyalty to crime boss Russell Bufalino reflect their real-life connections. The 1975 Detroit wedding shown in the film, including the long car trip and gathering of mobsters and union leaders, was also based on a real event.

The film also recreates Sheeran's confrontation with a store owner who had mistreated his daughter Peggy, an incident that contributed to their lasting estrangement. The movie's central claim, that Sheeran killed Hoffa on Mafia orders, comes from Sheeran's own account to writer Charles Brandt, whose book I Heard You Paint Houses inspired the film. However, Sheeran's confession remains disputed, so Hoffa's disappearance is a fact, while Sheeran's role in it has never been established.

10

Bugsy: The man who saw Las Vegas differently

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was a real gangster whose name became closely connected with the early history of Las Vegas . In the 1991 movie directed by Barry Levinson, Warren Beatty plays Siegel as he pursues his vision of building the Flamingo, a luxury hotel and casino in the Nevada desert. The real Flamingo opened in 1946, and Siegel was involved in the project before he was murdered in Beverly Hills in June 1947.

The film also features Siegel's real relationship with Virginia Hill, played by Annette Bening, and his connections to Meyer Lansky. Those people and relationships had real foundations, but the movie romanticizes and dramatizes parts of Siegel's personal life . Even the story behind the name "Flamingo" is disputed: one version connects it to Hill, while another traces it to Siegel's interest in the flamingos at Florida's Hialeah Park.

11

Black Mass: The dark story of Whitey Bulger

The 2015 film Black Mass is based on the real story of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger (played by Johnny Depp). His childhood friendship with FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) was real, and their relationship eventually led to a deal in which Bulger provided information about the Italian Mafia in exchange for protection and immunity from prosecution. The film also recreates real events in Boston, including the murder of Brian Halloran, who was shot in broad daylight after leaving a restaurant.

Not everything happened exactly as shown . The murder of John Callahan, for example, was moved to a nightclub in Florida for the film; in reality, Callahan was killed inside a car in an airport parking lot. Kevin Bacon's FBI supervisor, Charles McGuire, was also a fictional composite rather than a real person, created to represent several FBI officials from that period.

12

Boardwalk Empire: Prohibition, politics, and real gangsters

The HBO series Boardwalk Empire, which aired from 2010 to 2014, takes viewers back to Prohibition-era Atlantic City, when bootlegging, gambling, politics, and organized crime could overlap. The show's central character, Nucky Thompson (played by Steve Buscemi), was inspired by real Atlantic City political boss Enoch "Nucky" Johnson. The series also features real gangsters such as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky, Johnny Torrio, and Arnold Rothstein, whose early connections reflect the alliances that shaped organized crime in the 1920s.

Some of the show's events also have a real historical basis . Arnold Rothstein really was linked to the 1919 World Series gambling scandal, and the 1929 Atlantic City mob conference, hosted by the real Nucky Johnson, actually took place. But Nucky's fate was very different from the show's dramatic ending: the real Johnson was arrested for tax evasion, served prison time, and lived until 1968, dying at age 85.

1

Construction costs that’d make your wallet faint

Image: Jaime Labra

Back in 1912, the Titanic cost $7.5 million to build, and if you're wondering what that’d be today, it’d be over $400 million. That’s more than some sports stadiums! It took nearly three years to complete and was one of the most extravagant ships ever made.

2

Yes, there were dogs

Image: Yuki Dog

As it turns out, the Titanic wasn’t just for people. At least 12 dogs came along for the ride , lounging in a special first-class kennel. There was even a dog show scheduled for the morning of April 15. Sadly, only three tiny dogs survived, all small enough to sneak onto lifeboats tucked in coats or handbags.

3

The band really did play on

Image: Parizan Studio

Wallace Hartley, the bandleader, went down in history, and with his violin! His group kept playing as chaos unfolded around them, trying to calm passengers with music, just like the movie portrays. He didn’t make it, but his violin was found intact and later sold at an auction for $1.7 million!

4

A pocket watch frozen in time

Image: Otto Hyytiälä

The violin was not the only treasure found. Sidney Sedunary was a young steward whose pocket watch stopped ticking at exactly 1:50 a.m. , just before the ship went under. He was last seen handing out lifejackets to third-class passengers. That same watch, rusted but intact, still tells his story.

5

A survivor with frostbitten legs and Olympic dreams

Image: Shep McAllister

Richard Norris Williams spent six hours in icy water, and doctors on the rescue ship wanted to amputate his legs. He refused . And you may think he was crazy to do so, but thank God he did! He went on to win a Wimbledon title and an Olympic gold medal. How crazy is that?

6

Finding the Titanic by accident

Image: Karl Callwood

In 1985, oceanographer Robert Ballard found the Titanic wreck. But that was just an accident ; he was actually sent by the Navy to look for two lost nuclear submarines and used the Titanic as a cover story.

7

Dishes still stacked neatly on the ocean floor

Image: Jannet Serhan

When explorers visited the Titanic wreck in 1986, they found plates still stacked like someone had just finished doing the dishes. Turns out, the wooden cabinet they were in rotted away , leaving the china perfectly arranged on the sea floor. It’s as eerie as fascinating, considering the many years that passed.

8

The ship is rusting away

Image: NOAA

And speaking of the amount of time the Titanic has been underwater, we have to say that nature is reclaiming the Titanic bit by bit. A newly discovered bacterium is literally eating the ship. Scientists estimate it could disappear completely in 20 to 30 years. The latest expeditions have already shown evidence that pieces that were previously there are gone. So… the clock's ticking.

9

No photos of the grand staircase?

Image: Maria Orlova

You’ve probably seen images of the Titanic’s beautiful grand staircase. We’re sorry to disappoint, but they’re not of the Titanic . They’re from her sister ship, the Olympic. No one thought to take a picture of the real deal before the maiden voyage. And they definitely didn’t think of doing it while it happened!

10

Milton Hershey almost boarded

Image: Janne Simoes

If the name rings a bell, that’s because it’s the same Hershey from the chocolate you love. The man behind Hershey’s chocolate bars almost booked a room on the Titanic . He even wrote a $300 deposit check (big money back then!). But business delayed him, and he skipped the trip. Who do we thank for that?

11

The baker who survived two hours in icy water

Image: Maxim Hopman

Here’s a fascinating fact: Charles Joughin, the Titanic’s chief baker, survived one of the worst parts of the sinking: the freezing Atlantic water. He was reportedly treading water for two hours before rescue. Wanna know how he made it? He had been sipping whiskey to face his fate, and the alcohol in his blood kept him warm enough to survive.

12

The last lunch menu went for a tasty sum

Image: Zoshua Colah

In 2015, a copy of Titanic’s last first-class lunch menu sold for $88,000 . That’s one pricey memento. The menu included grilled mutton chops, chicken à la Maryland, and corned ox tongue. Safe to say lunch on the Titanic wasn’t your average sandwich and chips.

1

Jackson, Mississippi

Did you know Jackson, Mississippi, is named after the 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson? It is one of the four state capitals named after American presidents —the other three are Jefferson City (Missouri), Lincoln (Nebraska), and Madison (Wisconsin).

Jackson is the only U.S. capital built on top of an extinct volcano. Interestingly, during the Civil War, the city was burned by Union troops, giving it the nickname "Chimneyville". In addition, Jackson is best known for being the center of the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s.

2

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Founded by Spanish colonists in 1610 as the capital of the colony of New Mexico, Santa Fe is the oldest U.S. city that still functions as a state capital today.

But that's not the only peculiarity of this quaint city with a temperate climate and a unique historical and cultural richness. At 7,000 feet above sea level, Santa Fe is also the highest U.S. capital.

3

Honolulu, Hawaii

Known for its spectacular beaches and rich cultural heritage, Honolulu is the only state capital not on the North American mainland. Considered the birthplace of modern surfing, it also has the highest average annual temperature of any U.S. state capital.

But those aren't the only interesting facts about Hawaii's capital. Here are a few equally (or more) crazy ones: it hosts the only royal palace in the United States (Iolani Palace), the island is made up of volcanic soil, and it houses the world's largest open-air shopping mall (Ala Moana Center).

4

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is a historic city on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, known for its colonial architecture, nautical tradition, and academic value. But did you know it is also the smallest U.S. capital by land area? Just 6.7 square miles!

Annapolis was also one of the nine capitals the United States has had throughout its history. For nine months during the Revolutionary War, Maryland's current state capital served as the seat of the Confederation Congress.

5

Bismarck, North Dakota

If you thought Juneau, Alaska, had the lowest average winter temperature of all state capitals, think again! It's actually Bismarck, North Dakota, where the coldest temperature ever recorded was -45°F. Imagine that!

Bismarck was founded in 1872 on the banks of the Missouri River. The city was named after Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor of Germany, to attract German investors. Another fun fact? In 1930, Bismarck and Fargo had a dispute, known as the "Capitol Tower War," over which city should be the state capital.

6

Charleston, West Virginia

Did you know that the original name of West Virginia's capital was Charles Town in honor of the father of Colonel George Clendenin, one of the first settlers?

Charleston is best known for offering a unique combination of history, culture, and outdoor adventure.

7

Hartford, Connecticut

Founded in 1635, Connecticut's capital is one of the oldest cities in the U.S. Hartford is known for being a key cultural center in New England. It was the home of writer Mark Twain and is home to historic sites such as the State Capitol, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, and Bushnell Park, the oldest public park in the country.

Hartford is also called the "insurance capital of the world" due to the presence of major insurance companies. But the city's most curious fact is that it was where Teddy Roosevelt, aboard the Columbia Electric Victoria Phaeton, took the first presidential automobile ride in history!

8

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's capital city is best known for its role in the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. Located on the banks of the Susquehanna River, Harrisburg has been an important center of transportation and commerce. Today, it is known for its historic architecture, museums, and special events.

Harrisburg is also home to the longest stone arch bridge in the world, the Rockville Bridge, built in 1902. Oh, and in 1979, it came close to a nuclear disaster due to the accident at the Three Mile Island plant, the worst in U.S. history —but that's a longer story for another article!

9

Olympia, Washington

Located at the southern tip of Puget Sound, Washington's state capital is known for its natural beauty and vibrant culture. But did you know Olympia is the northernmost state capital in the contiguous U.S.?

Oh, and it's also a great place to try some of the best craft beer in the country.

10

Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah's state capital is popular for being one of the best places to ski in the United States. But that's not all! Salt Lake City is also the only state capital with three words in its name. Have you ever thought about that?

It has the largest Mormon population in the country and is the world headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Another fun fact? Salt Lake City is home to more plastic surgeons per capita than any other state capital!

11

Montpelier, Vermont

Named after the French city of the same name, Montpelier is the least populated state capital, with a population of just 7,900. Probably for that reason, Vermont's capital prides itself on its small local businesses: it is the only state capital that doesn't have a McDonald's or a Starbucks. Could you live without these fast food chains? It doesn't have a Walmart store either!

12

Topeka, Kansas

Topeka, Kansas’s state capital, has several interesting tidbits. For example, did you know its name, of Native American origin, means "a good place to dig potatoes"? Interesting, don’t you think?

In 2010, Topeka temporarily changed its name to "Google, Kansas" to attract the attention of the internet giant and become the capital city of fiber optics. Frivolous facts aside, Topeka was also very important in the history of the civil rights movement.